Eurogas warns EU rule change could hurt bioLNG shipping pathway

Eurogas and 45 co-signatories on June 29 warned that a proposed change to European Commission sustainability rules could disrupt bioLNG and eLNG supply by equivalence. Liquefaction by equivalence lets a buyer of bio-LNG trigger injection of an equal volume of biomethane into the gas grid, with certified mass balancing carrying the chain of custody through existing LNG infrastructure.

The Commission is revising sustainability rules for renewable fuels and wants the revised text to keep liquefaction by equivalence recognized as a viable route for RED-compliant biomethane at scale. The joint statement calls for maximum clarity, including an associated default value or an ISCC-compatible greenhouse-gas methodology that counts process and transport emissions in the biomethane and e-methane value chains. It also says no physical liquefaction step should be required when the LNG terminal is part of the same mass balance system.

FuelEU Maritime entered into force on January 1, 2025 and covers ships above 5,000 gross tonnage calling at EU ports, while the maritime EU ETS requires shipping companies to surrender allowances for 70% of their 2025 emissions in 2026 and 100% from 2027. FuelEU Maritime is part of the Fit for 55 package, designed to promote renewable, low-carbon fuels and clean energy technologies for ships. If Brussels narrows the equivalence model, shipowners and bunker suppliers that rely on book-and-claim delivery would face a thinner pool of compliant fuel and higher certification costs, while terminals that can document a physical liquefaction step would gain a relative edge.

Elengy launched a BioLNG by equivalence offer on March 24, 2025 at its Fos-sur-Mer and Montoir-de-Bretagne terminals after customer testing, and the sites obtained ISCC certification as a liquefaction plant in November 2024. On August 18, 2025, the European Parliament was asked about the timeline and scope of upcoming rules on bioLNG liquefaction by equivalence.